Open House Chicago's schedule is out. Here are 10 must-see buildings

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune

Lake Point Tower, framed by the "W" in front of the W Hotel Chicago Lakeshore, is seen in 2016. The tower is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is participating in Open House Chicago, which will be held Oct. 13 and 14, 2018.

Lake Point Tower, framed by the "W" in front of the W Hotel Chicago Lakeshore, is seen in 2016. The tower is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is participating in Open House Chicago, which will be held Oct. 13 and 14, 2018. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

It’s time to make plans for this year’s Open House Chicago, which will showcase interiors ranging from a grand banking hall to a former firehouse that’s now the home of a custom men’s hatmaker.

For the uninitiated, Open House Chicago, now in its eighth year, offers free access to a wide array of buildings in Chicago, Oak Park and Evanston. This year’s version, which will be held Oct. 13 and 14, has more than 250 sites, with the Chicago neighborhoods of Beverly, Morgan Park and Austin taking part for the first time.

As in the past, the 2018 Open House will require an RSVP for some sites. These locations — there are nine this year — only can accommodate a limited number of visitors or have special security needs, according to Dan O’Connell, a spokesman for the nonprofit Chicago Architecture Center, which presents Open House.

In addition to the nine sites that require an RSVP, four sites — including Chicago’s old main post office, now being converted into an office building — are open only to architecture center members.

Such access is a perk of belonging to the center, O’Connell said. Members had requested a tour of the four sites. As they used to say in the old American Express card commercials, “membership has its privileges.”

With so many possibilities, where should you go? Here’s a list of 10 recommended sites, including two that require RSVPs — Lake Point Tower, which this year is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the architecture center’s just-opened home. (Note that tour times vary. For more information go to www.openhousechicago.org.)

Lake Point Tower (505 N. Lake Shore Drive, Schipporeit & Heinrich, 1968). You’ve seen its curvaceous glass facade as you zip past on Lake Shore Drive. Now check out the inside of this Y-shaped residential tower and its sprawling rooftop garden, designed by landscape architect Alfred Caldwell. 9 a.m.- 1 p.m., both days.

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Model of downtown at the new Chicago Architecture Center includes miniature versions of more than 4,000 buildings.

The Chicago Model of downtown at the new Chicago Architecture Center includes miniature versions of more than 4,000 buildings. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Architecture Center (111 E. Wacker Drive, building by Office of Mies van der Rohe, 1970. Interior by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, 2018). The new architecture center features engaging, oversized models of significant skyscrapers plus a model of downtown Chicago that presents miniature versions of more than 4,000 buildings. It’s the next best thing to a helicopter tour. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., both days.

Wintrust Bank Building, banking hall (231 S. LaSalle St., Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, 1924). The grand hall is nearly as long as a football field and is as tall as a five-story building. Its 28 columns of light pink Carrara marble are fit for a victory procession by a Roman emperor. In other words, don’t miss it. (Wintrust is the presenting sponsor of this year’s Open House.) 9 a.m.-5 p.m., both days.

Brian Nguyen/Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Board of Trade building is seen in 2015.

The Chicago Board of Trade building is seen in 2015. (Brian Nguyen/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Board of Trade Building (141 W. Jackson Blvd., Holabird & Root, 1930). With Chicago’s trove of Art Deco architecture about to be celebrated in a soon-to-be-published book, why not see one of the city’s best? The multistory lobby is an Art Deco tour de force. And you can explore a basement vault where traders once stored receipts and silver bars. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Oct. 14.

Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune

The Poetry Foundation, seen in 2011, was designed by John Ronan Architects.

The Poetry Foundation, seen in 2011, was designed by John Ronan Architects. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)

Poetry Foundation (61 W. Superior St., John Ronan Architects, 2011). The cool progression of exterior and interior spaces is the polar opposite of jazzy Art Deco — serenely understated and quietly powerful. Highlights include the library, whose shelves are lined with more than 30,000 volumes of poetry. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., both days.

Oak Park's Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio is participating in Open House Chicago.

Oak Park's Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio is participating in Open House Chicago. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (951 Chicago Ave., Oak Park, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1889 and 1898). No Chicago tour would be complete without sampling an interior by Wright, the master of space. The home and studio were his laboratory — small in scale, but dazzling in effect. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Oct. 14.

Charles Deering Library, Northwestern University (1937 Sheridan Road, Evanston, James Gamble Rogers, 1932). Wright is said to have called the Collegiate Gothic library, which features four corner towers protruding from its main mass, “a pig on its back.” The elegant interior, especially the reading room, refutes him big-time. 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Oct. 13.

Ingersoll-Blackwelder House (10910 S. Prospect Ave., 1874, architect unknown). A pride of Morgan Park, this elegant house is a colorful throwback to the Victorian era. It shelters a collection of antiques salvaged from now-demolished Chicago mansions, including those on posh Prairie Avenue. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., both days.

Optimo (1700 W. 95th St., renovation by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, 2018). The architects, best known for mega-skyscrapers like Willis Tower, renovated an old firehouse in Beverly. It’s now the headquarters and production facility of a Chicago custom men’s hatmaker. I want to know more, don’t you? Open only one day; date not set yet. Check the Open House website as the event nears.